XDA News Articles

Once upon a time, when the original Samsung Galaxy S was just a dream for most XDA users, the Korean OEM was considered to be quite developer friendly. Then the their proprietary Exynos processor, which then made it difficult for the custom ROM scene to keep up thanks to its sparse documentation. Starting with the Samsung Galaxy S II, developers have had lots of trouble porting AOSP-based Android to Sammy devices. A few weeks ago, we showed you Android Lollipop with...

In the last few years, we've gotten used to OEMs either delaying updates for seemingly an eternity or not delivering them at all. This time, I sense a disturbance in the force lately--and I'm not referring to platform/external/jarjar in the actual Android source code. Vendors are now seemingly trying to compete which each other to see which will release Lollipop first. Yesterday, talked about how Sony is preparing an AOSP device tree and all the necessary information to compile Android...

Multiboot, or the ability to select between multiple operating systems on a single device at boot, is an inherently interesting concept. Not only does this allow users to try out new ROMs without losing their data, but it also allows users to keep a particular ROM for one purpose while using other ROMs or even operating systems for something entirely different. We've recently covered quite a few multiboot solutions for various devices in the past few weeks, and now we have one...

It's now been a week and a half since Android 4.4.3 was initially released. In the time since, we've seen quite a few devices receive Google's latest tasty treat. Naturally, this first came in the form of updated factory images for Nexus devices, but this was quickly followed up by updates to a number of "Moto" devices. Now, if the latest rumors are to be believed, Android 4.4.3 is nearing release for certain variants of Samsung's current and previous generation flagships, the Galaxy S5 and Galaxy...

We recently added new forums here on XDA for two recently announced and highly anticipated devices. The new devices are the HTC One E8, which is set to be released later this month, and the Sony Xperia T3, which will come at some point in Q3. While we were at it, we also changed a few things to make it easier for developers to post and maintain cross-device variant builds for several Samsung devices. First up, we have the HTC One E8. The E8...

Today will undoubtedly be remembered the day of Android 4.4.3--at least among us die hard Android fans. Immediately following yesterday's official release, we've seen quite a bit of Android 4.4.3-related activity. Early this morning, we saw the Android 4.4.3 OTA make its way over to the WiFi-only variant of the Google Nexus 7 (2013). Just a few hours later, we talked about all of the changes made in 4.4.3. Not too long after, Motorola began updating its "Moto" devices to 4.4.3. And finally, Google...

You may recall that back in November of last year, we shared a leaked Samsung internal memo detailing the OEM's tentative plans for updating its Galaxy line up to Android 4.4 KitKat. And with the exception of the canceled update for the International S3, this schedule has mostly held true, as we've seen KitKat roll out to many of the Korean company's newer high end devices. Now, more internal documentation has appeared, giving us a clearer picture of what Samsung's working...

Two popular Samsung devices are receiving OTA updates today, and they are the Samsung Galaxy S 4 LTE (GT-I9505) and the T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S 5. While the former brings a new device mode and the latest evolution in KNOX technology to the S4 LTE, the latter provides the T-Mobile S5 with bugfixes and a few new tricks. First up, we have the Galaxy S 4 LTE (GT-I9505). Today's 130 MB OTA brings the device to firmware revision XXUGNE5. In addition to boosting overall performance,...

Android 4.4.2 KitKat has begun rolling out to the Verizon Galaxy S 4! That and much more news is covered by Jordan, as he reviews all the important stories from this weekend. Included in this weekend's news is the announcement that KitKat for the Xeria Z has been leaked and that the Galaxy Note II international variant has gotten Android KitKat! That's not all that's covered in today's video! Jordan also talked about understanding cross compiling and Android. So pull up...

Earlier today, we saw Android 4.4.2 KitKat start making its way to international Galaxy Note II GT-N7100 in certain regions. But the Note II isn't the only device getting some official KitKat love, as the Verizon variant of the former flagship Samsung Galaxy S 4 is now receiving its update to Google's latest and greatest as well. A week and a half ago, Verizon S4 owners were lucky enough to received a leaked build of Android 4.4.2 KitKat. Most who were brave enough to take the...

People may not realize it much, but this fascination with larger screen sizes on smartphones isn't all smiles for every techie out there. One of the best devices of 2013, the Samsung Galaxy S 4, has a downside that small-handed users simply cannot get over that easily: its 5-inch screen. Yes, there is a Galaxy S 4 Mini made especially for them, but many understandably do not want to compromise top-of-the-line specs for a 'Mini' version. It's simply not the...

Two days ago, we talked about how Android 4.4.2 was starting to make its way over to Canadian carrier-branded variants of the Samsung Galaxy S 4. This, of course, started with the Rogers variant of the device. But now, the update has begun rolling out to the Bell variant of the device as well. The update's release should come as little surprise to our Canadian readers, as the build that was officially released for the Rogers S4 was compatible with...

Android 4.4.2 has been steadily making its way to all of the different regional and carrier-branded variants of the Samsung Galaxy S 4 over the past month and a half. And earlier today, the Rogers variant of the Samsung Galaxy S 4 started receiving its own official update to Android 4.4.2 KitKat in the form of a staged OTA rollout. This update, which has already made its way to various other carriers around the world was a long time coming for the...

Just four days ago, the T-Mobile Galaxy Note 3 received an OTA update to Android 4.4.2. This naturally lead many to wonder when Samsung's other flagship device on T-Mobile would see a similar update. That time is here, folks, as Android 4.4.2 has now started making its way out to consumer devices. The update comes in the form of build number M919UVUFNB4, replacing the previous Android 4.3-based M919UVUEMK2 build. The update weighs in at a decently sized 388 MB, and it...

Samsung has its moments of glory. The unveiling of Samsung Galaxy S 5 was a big media event, and Sammy is poised to sell millions of their latest Galaxy phones. Some owners of the company's previous flagship, the Galaxy S 4, had some issues relating to CPU speeds in certain applications. These issues were caused by dynamic voltage and frequency scaling known, otherwise known as DVFS. If you don't know what DVFS is for, you may be in for a surprise. Samsung used...

The S View cases for the Samsung Galaxy S 4 and Note 3 are fascinating products, as they not only protect the device and its screen, but they also feature a topside screen that displays your status bar, temperature, caller ID, and date and time. Not only that, but it’s also recognizes S Pen contact on the Note 3, which allows for some simple actions such as taking notes. What may come as a surprise to some is that the S View...

Official Android 4.4.2 has been making its way to various variants of the popular Samsung Galaxy S 4 over the past month. Now, the update has arrived for the AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4, coming in the form of build I337UCUFNB1. Aside from bumping up the Android OS version to 4.4.2, build NB1 also brings Galaxy Gear compatibility, drag-and-drop to uninstall / disable apps, and calling improvements. Furthermore, the update also brings improvements to various of the included apps such as...

Before Motorola was acquired by Lenovo, the OEM released two very interesting smartphones. The Moto X and Moto G were the first and probably the last devices made by the formerly American OEM in a cooperation with Google. Not so long ago, we talked about the Moto G receiving an unofficial CyanogenMod port. Now, however, the G and a few other Motorola devices will receive official CyanogenMod nightlies. The CM team has released three unified builds, which is a bit of a surprising...

Before today, Samsung has been very cautious in tempering expectations regarding official Android 4.4 KitKat updates for its recent devices. While certain phones have already received the 4.4.2 goods, much of the rest of the company's lineup is still in Jelly Bean limbo. We've seen leaks fly around left and right for the Galaxy S 4, but official word regarding KitKat for the device has been lacking. And since this is just for their latest and greatest, the future didn't...

We first saw a Samsung-created Android 4.4.2 build for the international Samsung Galaxy S 4 GT-I9505 about a month ago with the leaked XXUFNA1Firmware. While the company hasn't said much about an official KitKat rollout schedule, a leaked memo pointed to the end of January as a possible release date for the S 4 and Note 3. January has now come and gone. And while the Note 3 already received its official 4.4.2 update, the S 4 is still without. Luckily, another...

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